Standard Grades are sat by pupils aged 13–16 in Scotland, usually across eight subjects.

There are three different levels of exam which students may sit as a Standard Grade, namely Credit, General and Foundation. Often, students are required to take two exams, depending on their ability. For example, a Credit student will usually have to sit a General exam as well, in case they fail the former; and a general student may be asked to sit both a General and a Foundation paper.

There are two numbered grades for each level, as well as two fail grades. Should a credit pupil fail their exam, their results will drop to their general paper. For the final external exams, the percentage required for each grade is determined on a per-paper basis, usually to allow a certain percentage of people to pass. This allows for varying difficulty levels of papers.

Most writing papers allow the candidate to achieve the full range of grades (1-8) for that paper according to what percentage they attain. All other papers are level-specific, and the candidate may only be awarded with either of the two grades for that level, or a fail. As a rough guide, the top grade in each level requires 70-80% or more, and the second grade requires 50% or more, where below 50% is a fail.

The percentage bands for each exams are as follows:

• 1 - excellent - 70%-100%
• 2 - very good - 65%-70%

• 3 - average - 60%-65%
• 4 - satisfactory - 50%-60%

• 5 - 70% and over
• 6 - 50%-70%

All candidates sit the General paper and some sit the Credit or Foundation paper in addition.

• 7: less than 50%
• 8: no award (when the candidate does not attend the exam)

Schools in Scotland are now moving away from the Standard Grade system towards the new Higher Still program, which is part of the National Qualifications package. They are phasing in the new system gradually, with certain departments within the school choosing to adopt the new system before other departments. It is therefore common for pupils to sit a few Standard Grades and a few subjects from the Higher Still curriculum.

• A: best possible grade, excellent (around 75% and above)
• B: above average grade, very good (around 65% and above)
• C: below average grade, improvement needed (around 55% and above)
• D: fail (around 50% and below)